Webcasts

America in the World: Staying Ahead

Atlanta Marriott Marquis

The United States remains the largest economy in the world, a center for innovation and entrepreneurship especially in the information technology, advanced manufacturing, and energy sectors. But the United States is falling behind other nations on a number of key indicators: educational attainment, economic mobility, and infrastructure development. Over the long term, our lack of investment in these areas will prevent individuals from realizing their full potential and will severely limit business profits and economic growth. Investing in these areas now will ensure broadly shared, long-term prosperity and enhance American competitiveness and leadership.

In this session, leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors will explore how CGI America attendees can:

• Increase social mobility and equality of opportunity.
• Bolster education and workforce development program.
• Invest in critical infrastructure such as transportation systems, broadband, and wireless connectivity and the electric grid.

Remarks:

Kasim Reed,Mayor,City of Atlanta

Panel Discussion:

Moderator:

President Bill Clinton,Founding Chairman, Clinton Global Initiative,42nd President of the United States

Strengthening America’s Communities

In this Opening Conversation, President Bill Clinton and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia will discuss strategies to address the devastating human impact and staggering economic cost—$25 billion in lost wages and productivity annually—of prescription opioid abuse across the nation.

II. PANEL DISCUSSION
Communities in Transition: Building a Sustainable Future

Climate change is altering the United States’ resources and environments, with winners and losers across regions. In some cases, these changes are welcome: from California to Vermont, the booming solar energy sector has added workers at a rate 20 times faster than the overall economy. In some cases, these changes are constraining overall economic growth and disproportionately limiting the opportunities available to low-income populations. For example, in the western United States, communities face water shortages that negatively affect agriculture. Meanwhile, the coal industry has lost 76 percent of its value in five years, particularly affecting the Appalachia region. Public and private actors across the United States must invest in resilient preventative measures to mitigate and adapt to these changes and ensure socially and environmentally sustainable growth.

In this session, leaders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors will discuss how CGI America attendees can:

• Create jobs and local businesses in the renewable energy sector throughout the United States.
• Invest in alternative industries and retrain workers in regions reliant on coal and water.
• Create incentives across sectors to invest in resilient climate-adaptation and mitigation measures.

Opening Conversation:

Participants:

President Bill Clinton,Founding Chairman, Clinton Global Initiative,42nd President of the United States Joe Manchin III,U.S. Senator from West Virginia